Composite closure

ABSTRACT

A composite closure consisting of a flexible plastic fitment and a gasketed rigid metal closure panel. The metal closure panel is retained within the fitment by a circumferential shoulder. A lifting ring in the top of the flexible plastic fitment is joined to marginal portions of the fitment panel by breakable bridging portions and by a substantially unbreakable integral hinge portion attached directly to a portion of the skirt. Once the breakable bridging portions are broken, the semidetached ring serves to alert shoppers that the closure has been previously tampered with or removed. The exterior face of the downwardly extending skirt of the plastic fitment is substantially straight, and extends to tight abutment with a shoulder on the container making it difficult to pry the fitment off the container with an ordinary knife blade. In a preferred embodiment, the ring and peripheral portion of the flexible plastic fitment have a cooperative relationship with a recess in the metal closure panel to form a stacking ring to assist in the stabilization of stacked containers.

m 0[ 8m|l "2l5/46, 46 40, 10; 220/97 

1. A package comprising in combination: a container, and a composite closure member; said container including an enlarged product-enclosing portion, a shoulder portion, and a neck portion, the neck portion having a rounded end thereof, and having an outwardly extending neck bead around the entire circumference of the end thereof; said composite closure member including a substantially discshaped rigid closure member and a flexible outer neck-engaging fitment, the relatively rigid closure member having means for forming a compression seal disposed around the periphery thereof by which said closure membEr sealingly engages the end of said neck, said rigid closure member having a diameter substantially equal to the widest outside diameter of said neck bead; said flexible outer fitment including a perforate end panel and a collar portion, said end panel having pull tab means, said collar portion having a smooth, substantially straight outer face, and including an inwardly directed collar bead means positioned to extend beyond, and for engaging said neck-bead when the flexible outer fitment is in position around said neck, said collar portion extending along the entire length of said neck to firmly butt against the shoulder of said container, said fitment including recess means in said collar portion for loosely retaining said rigid closure member in a relatively wide zone adjacent to said end panel, said recess means and said closure member being so sized that said closure member fits loosely within said recess means , said inwardly directed collar bead means defining a lower extreme of said recess means, whereby axially directed pulling of said tab means sequentially urges said radially inwardly directed means around said side finish in the region of the tab while said sealing member remains fixed with respect to said neck, and thereafter continued axial urging of said tab brings said radially inwardly directed collar bead means to bear against and urge in an axial direction said sealing member away from said neck; said perforate end panel including fragmentary, inwardly directed flange means; lifting-ring means attached directly to said collar portion, and including at least one frangable bridge means for initially connecting said lifting-ring to said perforate end panel.
 2. A package comprising in combination: a container and a composite closure member; said container including an enlarged product-enclosing portion, a shoulder portion, and a neck portion, the neck portion having a rounded end finish and having an outwardly extending side finish around the entire circumference of the end thereof; said composite closure member including a substantially disc-shaped rigid closure member and a flexible outer neck-engaging fitment, the rigid closure member having gasket means for forming a compression seal around the periphery thereof by which said closure member sealingly engages the end of said neck, said closure member having a diameter substantially equal to the widest outside diameter of said side finish; said flexible outer fitment including an end panel and a skirt dependent from said end panel, said skirt having a smooth, substantially straight outer face, and including an inwardly directed skirt bead means positioned to reside between said outwardly extending side finish and said shoulder for engaging said side finish when the flexible outer fitment is in operating position around said neck, said skirt extending along the entire length of the neck and firmly butting against the shoulder of said container, said fitment including recess means within the enclosure of said skirt for loosely retaining said rigid closure member therein in a relatively wide zone adjacent to said end panel, said recess means and said closure member being so sized that said closure member fits loosely within said recess means, said end panel having pull tab means, said inwardly directed skirt bead means defining a lower extreme of said recess means, whereby axially directed pulling of said tab means sequentially urges said radially inwardly directed means around said side finish in the region of the tab while said sealing member remains fixed with respect to said neck, and thereafter continued axial urging of said tab brings said radially inwardly directed skirt bead means to bear against and urge in an axial direction said sealing member away from said neck; said end panel including fragmentary, inwardly directed flange means, and pull tab means attached directly to said skirt, and at least one frangable bridging portion for initially connecting said pull taB means to said inwardly directed flange means.
 3. A press-on pull-off composite closure for a container having a neck with a side finish extending radially outward from said neck, said closure comprising a substantially disc-shaped rigid sealing member and a flexible outer neck-engaging fitment, said fitment having a perforate end panel including pull tab means, a generally cylindrical skirt depending from said end panel and recess means inside said skirt for loosely but permanently retaining said sealing member within said fitment, radially inwardly directed means extending from said skirt of said fitment for engaging said side finish on said neck for retaining said composite closure on said container, said radially inwardly directed means defining a lower extreme of said recess means, whereby axially directed pulling of said tab means sequentially urges said radially inwardly directed means around said side finish in the region of the tab while said sealing member remains fixed with respect to said neck, and thereafter continued axial urging of said tab brings said radially inwardly directed means to bear against and urge in an axial direction said sealing member away from said neck. 